The Mortal Instruments: Parallel Universe
by abcmadi123
Summary: Clary has been taken to a parallel universe. Jace, Isabelle, and Alec have never met her. Valentine is raising her along with her brother Jonathan. Luke died in the uprising with his leader—Jocelyn. While trying to figure out what's happening, Jace and the others are searching for her back in their world. Could this all be a bigger plot from a bigger threat? CLACE, SIZZY, MALEC
1. Chapter 1

**SUMMARY: Clary is taken by a demon to a parallel universe where everything is different. Her best friend, Simon, is a popular kid at school. Her boyfriend, Jace, as well as Isabelle and Alec have never met her. She's being raised by Valentine Morgenstern along with her brother Jonathan. Her mother, Jocelyn, was the leader of the Circle and died during the Uprising along with Luke. While she tries to figure out what's going on, Jace and the others are in their world trying to figure out what happened and rescue her. Will Clary give up and except this new life? Will Jace and the others ever find her? Is this all part of a bigger plot? Is there a threat out there bigger than Valentine or Sebastian?**

 **Hello! This is my new story! Its been a while since I've ever published my own work so I hope you enjoy! So please read and review.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own TMI or any of these characters**

* * *

Clary let out a small tired laugh as she stepped back, lowering the iron sword in her hand. It reflected the light from above and cast a gleam of light for a moment. She picked up the water bottle she had on the edge of the mat and took a gulp followed by a few short breaths.

She wore baggy grey athletic shorts and a black tank top with her wild hair pulled into a ponytail. Her hand rested on her hip as she nodded her chin in the direction of the other person in the training room.

"You're getting better. Although, I think it may just be because I'm your instructor." She smirked at the boy in front of her who was drenched in more sweat than she was.

"That's only partly true." Simon retorted, wiping a towel over his red face.

Clary shrugged her shoulders, smiling lightly as she walked to the nearby table and sat her blade down. She had been teaching Simon how to fight for a few months now, they spent almost all their time in the room at the Institute. Although, she didn't think either of them really minded it since Jace and Isabelle lived here.

Simon walked over and put his weapon down (which was a long blade like hers) as he leaned on the table, catching his breath.

"You know, the one thing I actually _liked_ about being a vampire was never getting so winded."

Clary grinned and shoved his shoulder, "Oh shut up."

Simon chuckled alongside her as he grabbed his bag and tossed Clary hers. Together, they headed to the changing rooms that were on the same level. Clary climbed into the warm shower and washed away the sweat and scum covering her body. She stepped out a few minutes later and toweled off before changing into the outfit she was wearing when they'd arrived at the church; a pair of black jeans and a dark blue long sleeve shirt. She tied her wet hair up into a bun on the top of her head and slipped on some dark ankle boots.

She glanced at herself in the mirror thinking back to when she would have never worn an outfit as such. Maybe the jeans and some t-shirt with a quote like 'My precious'. That was, until Isabelle came along.

She threw her dirty clothes into her bag and went into the dark and duty hall to meet Simon who was already dressed. Admittedly, it was obvious that Simon looked different than he had four months ago, after his memory had been wiped and he'd been transformed back into a mundane.

His gangly movements had become graceful from training and his slim body was now more fit and muscular. And his jawline had become more sharp from the body-building exercises. He was wearing dark blue jeans and a white t-shirt with a black leather jacket. Despite Isabelle's protests to switch to contact lens, Simon kept his glasses saying it was so that he didn't lose all his old self. Though, Clary knew that wasn't entirely true. He had also kept them since they had once been a gift from his mother whom he would never see again. His hair was damp and shined a bit, almost appearing greasy as he ran a hand through it and pushed it to the side and out of his eyes. Isabelle had also had an influence on his style.

"Hey, are you ready to go?" He asked as he sat up straight and walked towards her, his bag over one shoulder.

Clary nodded her head and grinned as the two of them made their way down the stairs and toward the elevator. Simon was about to press the button to call the creaky old elevator when he mumbled a curse under his breath. "I left my keys in the training room. I'll go grab them really quick."

Before Clary even had a chance to protest that she was going to come with him, he was already jogging down the hallway. She let it go and leaned up against the wall, pulling out her phone to check the time when a tall, lean figure appeared out of the corner of her eye. She turned to identify him but already had a good idea as to who it was.

"Hey," Jace said as he walked over to her, pulling his hands out of his jeans.

Clary grinned and noticed his light hair was almost sparkling from the light that shone down on it.

"You weren't even going to say bye before you left?" He teased.

"Sorry, I was in the training room with Simon. He's improving a lot." Clary said, absentmindedly tracing her fingers over the thin, silver scars that covered his body from years of applying runes to himself.

She looked up to meet his eyes and he took her hand. "Well of course he is. You're teaching him…and I did teach you just about everything you know." He smirked as Clary rolled her eyes and laughed softly.

"Whatever you say." Clary muttered as she turned her head to see Simon walking in their direction. "Hey Jace." He said as he approached the couple. "Found my keys." He held up a hand to show Clary the keychain with its few dangling keys.

"All right, well we better get going." Clary raised up on her toes to press a kiss on Jace's cheek, making him smirk. "See you tomorrow Jace."

Simon waved bye to Jace as the two took the elevator down and left the glamour-building.

Back at Luke and Jocelyn's new apartment, Clary headed to her room after saying goodnight to Simon as he headed to his room across the hall. Clary changed into a pair of fuzzy flannel pajama pants and a grey tank top. She stepped into the bathroom that was connected to her room and ran through her nightly routine.

Her mom and Luke were in Alicante for the week attending a Clave meeting. Simon and she had stayed behind to continue training.

Her mind drifted and she closed her eyes lightly as she thought back. Almost six months ago, Simon had shown up at her mom's wedding with no recollection of who they were. Clary knew why though, and had tried to explain to Simon that he'd given his memories to a Demon. Jace had suggested the next day that they should ask the Silent Brothers for help. She figured he had only done it so that she might stop moping but also since he was growing fond of Simon as Clary's best friend. Clary thought it was a stupid idea but had agreed after hearing Jace's persuasiveness.

Brother Enoch had come with a few other members of the City of Bones that Clary nor Jace knew personally. They'd spent there afternoon trying to recover Simon's memories. And then the following day. And the week after. It took nearly two weeks of determination for them to restore Simon's memories. Clary had been pacing the floor in the Institute's library with Jace as the Brothers worked on Simon upstairs in the spacious training room. Alec had taken Isabelle on a walk on the grounds since she was as emotional as Clary herself if not more.

"It's hopeless Jace." She had once said. "They've been trying for weeks. Maybe it's time to just give up..."

Jace moved to her side in a heartbeat and caressed her arm. "Don't say that Clary. You know they're doing everything they can to help."

"Well, it's not working!"

"Give it time Clary, don't lose faith."

A relentless sigh escaped Clary's lips as Jace wrapped his arms around her small frame.

Clary buried her face into his body and breathed in Jace's scent of sage and sunlight.

The next day, the Brothers has come to Clary and Jace to tell them news. Clary wasn't sure if it were good or bad news. The voice that spoke in her head through the Brothers was monotoned, hard to distinct any tone at all. At first, Clay had thought they would say that so much digging around in his mind had caused death, but the voices in her head assured her not. She would have felt it if her best friend had left forever. Walking ahead of the others, Clary burst into the room full of hope. A tall slim figure turned and through the lens of his glasses, Clary saw the dark brown gleam of his eyes.

With a joyous scream, she had bolted at him and thrown herself into his arms, tears sprawling down her face as she murmured short reassurances (for him and her both) into his ear. "You're alive." and "Don't ever leave me again."

A mixture of happiness and anger and agony being relieved washed over her.

"Simon?" She heard a familiar, sweet disbelief voice whisper.

Turning around in Simon's arms Clary saw Isabelle wipe at her eyes before tears had a chance to escape. Simon had let go of Clary and dashed to his girlfriend as the two rejoiced.

Over the next few weeks, decisions and choices had been made. They needed more Shadowhunters. And Simon made the cut. There had been confliction over the fact that he had once been a Night Child and a mundane. But, Alec and Isabelle's father was the Inquisitor and had been a part of the final verdict.

He had drunk from the Mortal Cup and then as a final initiation step, the Angelic rune had been drawn on his arm by the Silent Brothers. After indicating that the rune had worked on him, the ceremony had been complete.

A special acceptation had been made for Simon to allow him to train at the New York Institute under Clary Fairchild's guide.

Once Simon had changed, him and Clary had undergone the ceremony of becoming _parabatai_. Simon could no longer see or have any connections to his family so he'd moved in with Clary, Luke, and Jocelyn. He was like a brother to Clary now.

Clary cleared her head of the memory and went to her room and sat on the bed, pulling out a sketchpad and pencil.

Laying back against her headboard, the pencil moved swiftly in fine strokes. Time passed unknowingly as an image began to take place on the paper. Clary let out a heave of breath to wipe away the eraser shavings and examine the final product.

It was an image of her deceased brother crossing a border between Hell and Heaven. He flew upwards with a pair of white wings connected to his back. His high cheekbones stuck out as he lifted his head upwards, a slender hand reaching for the sky. Clary had been sketching drawings of her brother increasingly often without even realizing it.

She sighed and sat the pad of paper on her nightstand and flipped her lamp off before climbing under the covers. She closed her eyes and tried to clear her mind, eventually falling asleep.

* * *

Jace sat on the stone bench in the middle of the Institute's greenhouse with a book in hand—A tale of Two Cities—as he took in the story, glancing up at the click clack of shoes on the spiral staircase. He shut the book and sat it in his lap as a slim figure with waist long ink black hair appeared.

"Hey Jace," Isabelle said, striding over to her adoptive brother and seating herself next to him. "What book is that?"

Jace didn't even glance at the cover as he answered straight forwarded "Dicken's A Tale of Two Cities."

He saw the confusion sweep across her pale face at the title that seemed unfamiliar. Or the fact that she still couldn't get over the fact one of Jace's hobbies was reading.

"Anyways, I had a favor to ask you. It's about Simon and Clary."

Jace straightened as he raised an eyebrow at the girl in front of him. "What about them?"

"Well, Simon has been training for months and I want him to go demon hunting. But, your girlfriend is too overprotective of him."

"How does this involve me?"

"Come on Jace, can't you suggest to Clary that I should take him?"

"Absolutely not." Jace spoke sternly.

"Why not? You sound like Alec..." She complained, crossing her arms over her chest, her dress riding up her legs a little.

"Like you said, she's my girlfriend. And I'm not asking her."

"Please Jace, we can all go if that makes Clary more comfortable." The Lightwood girl begged, obviously hating Jace for making her plead. "And I'll even talk to Simon so that he'll side with you before Clary can put in her own opinion."

"Fine." Jace muttered, making Isabelle grin, and thank him before running off happily. He would have continued to argue against her, but his book was more entertaining. Besides, seeing Simon attempt to kill demons sounded just as entertaining.

* * *

Magnus looked up from his spot on the couch as Alec walked back in, pocketing his flip phone. He'd gotten a call from his sister a few minutes beforehand and had excused himself from their cuddle time to answer it.

"Is everything okay?" Magnus asked, concern tinting his voice.

Alec sighed and plopped down next to Magnus who wrapped his arms around his slim figure, kissing the top of Alec's jet black hair as he leaned against Magnus' chest.

"Yes, Isabelle was just letting me know I must go demon hunting with her, Simon, Jace, and Clary tomorrow. 'No exceptions' is what she told me. It's Simons first time as a Shadowhunter so she wants all of us there so Clary won't freak."

"So, no Italian night tomorrow?" Magnus pouted his lip sadly. He was going to prepare pasta for him and Alec for a date night.

"No, I'm sorry." Alec picked up his boyfriend's thin hand and planted a kiss on his hand.

"It's okay, we can reschedule."

Alec nodded and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath which filled his lungs with the smell of Magnus as well as Chairman Meow's litter box. Within minutes, Alec fell asleep with Magnus's arms wrapped around him, holding him in a tight embrace.

* * *

Clary, Simon, Jace, Isabelle, and Alec were all gathered at the Institute in the kitchen a few nights later. Alec was ordering takeout since Izzy had burned what was supposed to be chicken fajitas. She now sat with Simon talking and laughing softly at something he'd said. Clary grinned and took a sip of whatever kind of soda she was drinking —she presumed it was coke—as Jace told a story about one of the many demons him and the two eldest Lightwood siblings had slayed.

"Clary?" Clary turned her head and glanced down at Jace's hand on her leg. "Are you okay?" He asked, a bit of concern in his voice that he would rarely let anyone else hear.

Clary nodded her head, "Yes sorry, I was distracted. What'd you say?"

"I said, maybe we should take Simon demon hunting tonight." Jace said nonchalantly.

Her eyes widened. "What?! He's only been training for a few months. He can't handle demons."

"Clary, he killed demons when he was a vampire an—"

"That's different Jace." She replied quickly, cutting him off.

"It really isn't. Plus, we'll all be around too. Nothing will happen to Simon. We can even—"

"I'd like to go demon hunting." Simon chimed in, Jace glaring at him for interrupting him but quickly recovering since he'd done what Isabelle said she would talk to him about.

"Then it's settled." Jace smirked and stood up and walked towards the door. Clary opened her mouth to protest but shut it quickly. She followed him with the others trailing.

"So, where's a good place to look for demons?" Simon asked glancing over at Isabelle and Clary. Clary mentally scolded herself for never mentioning or having taught Simon during their training sessions. She'd gone with Jace, Isabelle, and Alec at least a dozen times since Simon had begun his training.

"Central Park usually. But I've got my sensor to make things easier. Just since we've got a newbie with us." Isabelle teased, smirking.

Clary listened to their conversation as they neared the park entrance. Jace and Alec were up ahead leaning close to one another as they talked quietly.

They were all wearing black Shadowhunter gear and armed with daggers, swords, and seraph blades. Each one of them was wearing several different runes of protection, speed, agility, and healing.

Clary couldn't help but stare at Jace in his gear. The thick black leather jacket and pants were tight against his muscular build and she wished she could run up to him and sweep the dark blonde locks of hair away from his neck. It was odd seeing how Jace had to look up an inch to meet Alec's stunning blue eyes while if she wanted to look at Jace's golden eyes she had to tilt her head up almost a foot. It was that kind of ironic funniness that made her smile a little.

Clary knew how much Jace loved killing demons; it was almost therapeutic for him. The way he held his weapons with such care and grace showed it. Something her father had taught him to do that Valentine had done himself. However, Clary couldn't blame him, she loved it too. As strange as it sounded, something about driving a blade into a demon's chest and watching it simmer away almost immediately was quite satisfying. She was pulled out of her thoughts when she heard the beep from the small device in Isabelle's hand.

Without looking, Clary knew that Alec's grip had tightened on his bow; Jace's hand hovered over a seraph blade; Isabelle's hand rested on the handle of her whip; and Simon reached to pull his own bow free. Her hand too now gripped the hilt of Phaesphoros. The blade had belonged to Sebast—Jonathan when he was still alive. The group neared a wooded area and Clary pulled out her witchlight stone, squinting to see in front of her. The darkness that was in this unlit area was so intense it was hard for any of them to see more than a foot ahead.

A scream emitted from her throat as a four headed Hydra lunged at her. She gasped as she patted her side trying to pull Phaesphoros from its scabbard. With a grip of iron, she drove the blade into one of the heads as swiftly as she could. All signs of life left it as the head dangled by the neck. The other scaly heads of the Hydra came after Clary, dripping a mixture of green drool and black ichor on her gear. Suddenly, a bright flash of light went by Clary's eyes and sliced the other three heads off, the disfigured body going limp on top of Clary before sizzling up and disappearing for good.

In seconds, Jace was in front of Clary, holding out a hand to pull her to her feet. "Thanks." She said with a weak smile, glancing at Isabelle whose whip recoiled around her hand. Isabelle grinned in return and nodded.

She was about to speak when Alec yelled, "Watch out!" His hands flew to his quiver and pulled an arrow free. Clary and Jace's heads whipped around as an Elapid demon came at them; only inches away. The arrow flew by Jace's head and missed the creature's eye by a millimeter. Within seconds, another arrow was flying. The runed arrow embodied itself into the Elapid cobra-like neck.

However, this arrow had come from another direction. Clary turned in time to see Simon lowering his bow with a rock-hard expression plastered on his face.

"Nice work." She heard Jace say as she put her blade back in its place by her side.

"Thanks." Simon muttered, still dazed that he had just killed his first demon as a Shadowhunter.

Isabelle hushed them and they all turned to face her. She nodded her head forward, sending a wave of black hair in her face. They all glanced at where she'd indicated as a swarm of about three demons appeared, charging at the group.

Clary barely had enough time to identify the trio of beasts as she pulled Phaesphoros free as time seemed to slow. Her mind was racing still as Isabelle and Simon jumped at one of the demons and she heard Jace's voice whisper the word _Gadreel_ as the Seraph blade in his hand beamed to life. She joined his side, making long strides as the two of them ganged up on the Ravener—that's what it was.

She felt her heart beat hard against her chest as the blade in her hand slit a deep cut on the side of the demon who let out a screech. The demon retreated before leaning on its back legs and hurtling its tail towards Clary. She flipped out of the tail's path as Jace had taught her. She turned in time to see Jace's seraph blade bury itself in the Ravener's chest. Black ichor sprayed onto the pair as the demon vanished.

Clary flinched as a splash of the ichor touched a part of her body that was unprotected, but she didn't notice. The pain was as familiar as the daily pain of dragging a hair brush through tangled hair.

Clary, breathing heavily, glanced at Jace who met her gaze. Neither spoke as she concealed her weapon and turned to see Isabelle and Simon gathered around Alec who was on the ground. Jace's smile faded as he sprinted toward his parabatai. His knees hit the ground with a thump as Clary jogged to his side. Alec's head rested in Izzy's lap as blood seeped from a large gape in Alec's leg. The eldest boy's breathing was uneven and heavy. "Move," Jace said harshly to Simon and shoved him out of the way to examine Alec.

Simon glanced at Clary before moving to squat down next to Isabelle. She was biting her lip to keep tears from slipping down her face. Instead, blood dripped from her lip that she had now cut open.

Jace was carefully peeling off bloodstained gear from Alec's knee. He had drawn several _iratze_ around the injury. It had managed to stop most of the bleeding but the cut itself was still wide open. "I-I'm fine." Alec grumbled trying to sit up.

"No, you're not!" Isabelle spoke sternly, gently lowering her brother back down into a comfortable position.

"Clary." The curly-haired girl's head looked down to the source of the voice. It sounded so pleading and full of sorrow. Jace.

He continued, "Your runes can help him. Please." Jace scooted aside as Clary took his place.

The slender girl slipped her hand into her pocket and pulled out her stele. At that moment, Clary could now see that even though the bleeding had subsided the cut was more of a stab into the tissue and muscle. She'd never seen a demon capable of a wound such as _this_.

Alec saw her concerned expression and spoke. "It was no regular demon. I-I don't know what it was…"

Simon and Isabelle murmured conformations of what Alec had said. Even more concerned for Alec's state of wellbeing now, she closed her eyes attempting to concentrate, ignoring the eyes fixed on her. Images flashed in her mind of Isabelle's tearstained face after Max's funeral. Jace's _parabatai_ rune faded on his tan skin. Magnus moping around his apartment with only Chairman Meow to comfort him.

Her hand moved automatically, forming the lines of the healing rune. Her hand was shaking and her knuckles white from the powerful grip on her stele; though the rune still came out clear and perfect. Alec sighed inwardly as a little bit of color returned to his face and he seemed to be lighter.

"He should be okay. We should get him back to the Institute though. Just in case." Clary spoke reassuringly; though it was more shaky and fragile.

Isabelle nodded, helping Alec to his feet and letting him use her and Simon for support. "Good idea and before whatever the Hell that was comes back."

They began heading towards the entrance to the park.

Forgetting the events that had just unfolded, Clary ached for her sketchbook and pencil. How she longed to draw the peaceful park at night with its natural look. The park light that beamed by a bench would look lovely on paper and Clary could see how she could shade it to make it even more realistic.

They were walking at a slow pace so Alec didn't have to put too much pressure on his injury which gave her enough time to dream up the image in her head. Clary noticed, once subsiding her thoughts, that Jace stood a few steps behind the others in silence. Clary slowed her paces until they were side by side. She reached for his hand and Jace intertwined his fingers with her, squeezing her hand gently. Clary turned to look up at Jace's eyes. He was looking at her as well and both had stopped walking.

For a moment, she didn't speak. She was lost in his eyes; they were a shade darker than usual, appearing almost a light brown. The moon reflected in his pupils, lighting his tan face, and balancing everything out about his perfect features. "I love you." Clary spoke gently, her voice almost coming out hoarse for no reason.

Jace leaned down and pressed a firm kiss to Clary's lips and she tasted the familiar taste of him as his lips lingered over hers, barely touching. "I love—"

His words were cut short as both glanced back to where a rustling noise had come. Jace's hand slipped down to a dagger on his weapon's belt as a dark figure came at the two at lightning speed, reminding her for a moment how swift her brother had been. The thought was cut short as an Achaieral demon came at the two. It split away, revealing two of them; one headed towards Clary and the other aimed at Jace.

Clary grabbed her blade as the Achaieral flew at her, its pace not slowing. Her focus shattered as she whipped her head to the side hearing Jace groan as he wrestled the demon attacking him. She moved her gaze forward again as she met contact with the scorched-black monster. Reaching a hand up to stab the flying creature, its wing hit her hand hard enough to knock Phaesphoros from her grip.

A gasp escaped her mouth as she moved to kick her legs at the stomach of the demon that now gripped her wrists and held her above the ground. The kick did nothing except enrage the demon. Clary screamed as it released her and she began plummeting towards the nearing ground. Instead of hitting the hard-packed dirt, the Achaieral's talons gripped her shoulders, sending a sharp pain down her back. She felt the warmth leave her body as she became airborne and flew through the night sky.

She heard Jace call her name down below and struggled to look down at him. Clary continued to skirmish, trying to free herself from the hold of the demon until realizing, even if it did let go, she would fall to her death. Her eyes threatened to close as she felt hot liquid stream down her bare skin under her gear where the grasp of the Achaieral tightened. She screamed in agony and pain as the corners of her vision blurred. She saw a bright light and wasn't sure if it was the moon, or the end.

* * *

 **AHHH CLARY! So what did you think? Leave comments or questions or suggestions below! I'll probably post the next chapter sometime next week or maybe the following, it depends. But thank you to anyone reading my writing! It means the world to me and I hope you like it!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello! I am back! Sorry this chapter took so long to update, but PLEASE READ THE AUTHOR'S NOTE AT THE END! Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter! And thanks to everyone who reviewed, followed, and favorited this story! It means the world to me!**

* * *

Jace could hear his heart thumping so loud that it was ringing in his ears. He was frozen on the ground, pain coursing through his body. A hand gripped his shoulder and shook his violently, finally pulling him from his trance.

"Jace!" Isabelle yelled. "What the hell just happened? Where's Clary? You two were right behind me, and then you were gone!"

He could hear Isabelle mumbling something else as a frantic looking Simon stood behind her, still supporting Alec. There was a minute of silence before Jace finally spoke.

"It took her." He said, dazed.

"What took her Jace?" Isabelle asked, reaching down to put a hand on his shoulder, her grip a little looser than beforehand.

Before Isabelle could try to further pry, Jace ran a hand through his hair and pushed himself off the ground. He groaned as his leg seemed to give out and he collapsed. It seemed as if his foot had just snapped into two.

Isabelle gasped and bent down to help him. "By the Angel! Jace, what the hell did you do to yourself?"

Jace bit his lip hard and pushed Isabelle off exasperatedly. "Nothing, I'm fine." He managed to stand before turning in the direction that the demon had taken Clary. "I need to go get her…" He muttered before attempting to run off, or more so limp due to his ankle that was slowing him down tremendously.

"Stop Jace!" Isabelle spoke firmly and grabbed ahold of her brother's arm and pulled him back forcefully. Usually he would've been able to escape easily but his ankle was throbbing and he didn't have the strength in him.

"I need to go find Clary." His teeth were gritted as he turned again.

"No!" Isabelle screamed, running to stand in front of him. "Tell us what is going on!" She demanded.

Jace sighed inwardly and gave the shortest version he could of the events that had just happened. "A demon took Clary. I need to find her."

Isabelle shook her head disapprovingly. "Jace, your ankle is sprained—maybe even broken! You need to get back to the Institute and rest—"

"Isabelle! Shut up!" Jace snapped, losing control of his usual cool demeanor. "My girlfriend just got…kidnapped and you want me to go rest?! She could be hurt or worse. I have to go find her!" His breathing was rough as he gazed at Isabelle with intense eyes of hatred now.

Isabelle wore an unreadable expression on her face from Jace's outburst. "Okay Jace, calm down and tell us everything that happened. The sooner you do, the sooner we can look for Clary." She spoke in a calm, reassuring voice though it was tinted with annoyance.

Jace rolled his eyes and reluctantly went over the story. "Clary and I had stopped and you guys kept walking. We talked for a few minutes and then we heard something. There were two demons— Achaieral demons. One went for me and the other went for Clary. I heard her scream right as I was about to stab mine and when I looked up, the demon she had been fighting was gripping her and flying through the air." He took a deep breath as he recalled the memory that left a pain in his chest. "I screamed her name but she didn't respond. The Achaieral I'd been fighting threw me to the ground roughly and when I looked up to throw my Seraph blade at it, it was gone."

There was a quiet moment before Alec chirped up. "Was she…moving…?"

Jace turned and stared Alec down. "Yes, she's alive. Simon would know if she wasn't." He nodded his head at the _parabatai_ rune which was on Simon's arm. It was now exposed since he had taken his jacket off.

"Okay," Isabelle spoke up. "Simon and I will stay here and look for Clary. Jace, you and Alec get back to the institute and fix yourselves up."

Jace glared at Izzy. "I'm not leaving. I am staying here to help find Clary. My girlfriend." He added.

Isabelle rolled her eyes irritably. "If—When we find Clary, it's not going to do any good for her sake if you're hurt Jace."

Jace was about to comment back but let his shoulders drop in defeat. He'd already let Clary down by not protecting her, he couldn't do this to her as well.

He huffed and hobbled to Alec. "Fine, let's go."

Alec nodded his head and waved goodbye to Isabelle and Simon. Jace and Alec leaned on one another as they slowly made their way back to the Institute. They didn't speak as they headed North towards their home.

Inside the Institute's infirmary, Alec was sitting on one of the hospital-like beds drawing yet another _iratze_ rune on his calf. The injury had almost completely healed up and there was no demon blood in his veins. Alec had wrapped Jace's ankle up and iced it but Jace could care less about his own injuries. In his mind, he deserved to be in pain. Clary was missing and here he was, doing nothing of the sorts to help rescue her.

"You know they're going to find Clary?" Alec spoke, finally breaking the unbearable silence.

"I know." Jace muttered, crossing his arms over his chest. He wasn't in the mood to speak and just wanted a chance to go to his room.

"Isabelle and Simon are pretty decent Shadowhunters. They'll do a better job than the Clave."

"I know Alec. I'm really tired, I think I'm just going to head to bed."

Alec nodded his head slowly. "Are you sure? We could go forage for some food in the kitchen. I'm starving."

"I'm sure Alec. The last thing I want to do right now is eat. I'm just going to go to my room."

Jace gave a tight smile to his dark-haired brother before slipping out of the room before Alec even had a chance to rely.

He swiftly walked to his room and locked the brown stained door behind him. Jace sighed as he collapsed on the bed and looked at his nightstand. The room he had at the Institute was identical to all the other spare rooms except for the few personal belongings Jace had added. He owned a few books, weapons, a picture or two, and the box that had belonged to his biological father; Stephen Herondale. Other than that, there was nearly no difference from his rooms and the others. His room was always tidy unlike Isabelle's who had clothes strung on the floor and makeup products and weapons everywhere.

Jace picked up a frame that held a picture of him staring lovingly at Clary as he wrapped his arms around her waist. Her face was scrunched up as she laughed loudly and grinned.

Jace remembered the day perfectly. He smiled to himself as he thought of Clary and how she had been then. It was about four months earlier, at the beginning of summer. Clary, Simon, Isabelle, and Jace had gone to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Alec had been unable to attend since he was pulled to some Clave meeting in Alicante. Simon and Isabelle had wandered off, bored out of their minds as Clary and Jace observed each piece of art.

The couple talked about the paintings and how Izzy and Simon had short attention spans. But mostly the paintings. They made their way down one of the many corridors and into the Monet gallery. The building itself smelt like stale water and air freshener.

Jace had glanced over at Clary at how intrigued she was by _The Water Lily Pond_ by Claude Monet. He admitted, it was amazing. The depiction of a small pond with a bridge crossing over it with the flora surrounding it all. It reminded him of something he'd see at Central Park.

It was so realistic, and the way the artist mixed the monochromatic of green was astonishing. It had taken nearly ten minutes to peel Clary away from that single piece and onto the next.

After several hours, they'd finally headed towards the exit. They had only managed to look at several dozen pieces with how fascinated Clary was with each one. In the lobby, Simon and Isabelle sat on a bench talking. Jace could see the sparkle in Clary's eyes as she glanced at the artwork that hung here. He loved how passionate she was about art and it made him happy that she was enjoying it again.

All throughout their visit, she had pointed out little details that Jace had even missed and she had explained to him the techniques the artist had used. She confessed to him that she had difficulty with some of the methods and had practiced numerous times but could never get it right like the way the artist she was trying to manipulate could.

"Finally, I thought we'd never leave!" Isabelle exclaimed, pulling herself to her feet once the couple had finally made their way to the bench. "Can we please go?"

Clary chuckled and squeezed Jace's hand lightly. "Yes Isabelle. It's not like you were going to die."

"Trust me, I was close to suicide with how long it took you two." The slim girl pointed out.

They all laughed a bit before walking outside into the sunlight, squinting as their eyes adjusted. There was a light breeze in the air which was nice considering how humid it was. The smell of summer tinted with cigarette smoke from a nearby smoker wafted through the air. Clary halted and pulled her hand free of Jace's as she rummaged through her bag before revealing her phone.

"Simon, can you take our picture really quick?" She asked turning on the camera before handing the phone to her best friend.

"Yeah, sure." Simon grinned and stepped back and faced the couple, pointing the phone.

"Make sure you get the museum in the background." Clary insisted, glancing at Jace, and kissing his cheek quickly.

Jace grinned and took the step behind Clary, making himself over a foot taller than her. He wrapped his muscular arms around her torso and leaned down, resting his chin on her shoulder. With a smirk, he picked Clary off her feet so that they were level. She let out a scream of joy right as Simon snapped the photo.

Jace sighed as he relived the memory before setting down the frame and standing up. Without hesitation, he moved to his window and unhitched the clamps that kept it shut. With ease, he pulled the window open and was hit by a cold breeze from the early Autumn weather. The sound of traffic could be heard on the street as cars and busses zoomed by, honking their way through.

Jace walked over to his nightstand and grabbed the dagger that had belonged to his father and his stele. He pocketed the weapon and then drew a rune of silence on his forearm, a rune of agility on his wrist, and a few other runes on his right arm and shoulder. He swiftly made his way to the open window and climbed out.

Jace quickly climbed out and using the staggered exterior as steps, climbed to the bottom, falling the last six feet or so. It was painless though, most likely due to the abundant amount of Angel blood running through his veins. He was reminded of the way he had jumped off the Institute's roof many months ago, and how terrified Clary had been.

Assessing himself, Jace nodded before running off the premise and toward Central Park where he had last seen Clary. He took a deep breath as he pushed past the people on the busy street who grumbled complaints.

Within twenty minutes, he was stopped in front of the entrance to the lively park.

"I'm coming Clary." He whispered, gripping his dagger as he jogged forward, continuing his search for Clary.

* * *

Clary was lying in bed, tossing, and turning rapidly, mumbling in her sleep from a nightmare. She shot up in bed and gasped loudly as tears stung her cheeks. Her hair was plastered to her sweaty face and she felt like she was on fire. Her breathing was fast and uneven as her head flung from side to side, taking in her surroundings. She was home. At Jocelyn and Luke's new apartment. In her bed.

She felt her gut twist as she glanced around the room though. It was different than her own room; it was filled with a lifetime of belongings and memories. She didn't own this much stuff, she'd practically restarted her life less than a year ago, after everything had been destroyed at her mom and her's old loft above Madame Dorothea's. However, it looked like it could be Clary's room.

Carefully, she pushed the comforter off her and stood up. She bit her lip as she felt a sharp pain run up her back. She let out a soft cry as she traced her fingers over her shoulder blades where she had felt the pain originate. Scratches, deep scratches that tore across her upper back from where she'd been clawed. But how had they gotten there…?

She let out a deep breath as she moved carefully, avoiding the creaking floorboards. Clary stopped in front her full-length mirror and turned so her back was facing the glass. She slowly lifted her shirt, making sure that the cloth didn't rub against her cuts. The red-haired girl looked over her shoulder at her reflection in the mirror. Her eyes widened in horror. On each shoulder blade, there was a long red mark running up to her shoulders. There were also a few minor scratches to the sides of the larger ones but all Clary could focus on was the pain.

She closed her eyes trying to remember how they had gotten there, then it hit her. The Achaieral demon. Central Park. Jace. The Achaieral demon had clawed her back as it lifted her into the air. As she had struggled, its grip had readjusted and that's why her back was full of scores. What she didn't recall was how she had gotten home. Or if this was home at all. Jace would've kept her at the Institute, as would Isabelle and Alec. Her mom and Luke were gone. Maybe Simon had brought her here. Her mind was racing and she wished she had some answers.

She pulled her shirt down and sauntered to the closet and threw it open. It was overflowing with clothes and there were abundant options of paint splattered shirts to fancy dresses and skirts. She frowned as she was reminded of the house in Paris. How she had lived with her brother and someone who looked like Jace but wasn't her Jace. She shuddered despite the warmth that flowed from the heater. She pulled out a loose baggy garnet shirt so that it wouldn't irritate her scratches and a pair of jeans.

Clary reached for a hair tie from the dresser and threw her frizzy bed-head hair into a high ponytail. She rummaged through the drawers of her desk searching for her stele but to no avail. She contemplated bringing a sharpened colored pencil as a weapon and finally grabbed one and stuck it through her updo like she'd seen her mother do so often.

She quietly walked to the door and twisted the knob, it was unlocked. So, she wasn't being held captive here, which was good. Clary bit her lip and cracked the door and peered out into the hallway. Someone was in the room across the hall which meant Simon must be here. Or so she hoped. Feeling relieved, Clary pushed the door open fully and stepped into the hallway.

She hesitated yet again as she took in the scenery of the hallway. At home, it had been painted a dark orange and had lots of photos and paintings hung up. Here, the walls were a light blue and the walls were bare. There was a table centered in an awkward place with a single photo that Clary couldn't make out from her stance.

She took one large stride to the door across the hall and knocked softly. "Simon?" She whispered before pushing it open completely. Inside, the walls were painted a dark color but Clary barely had time to decipher if it was dark blue or black. A figure came at her and she froze in her spot. "Get out Clary!" The boy yelled, his familiar voice flowing into Clary's ears and paralyzing her. Her breathe caught in her throat as she let out a whimper. Before she could even react, the door slammed shut in her face.

It was impossible but she could have sworn she had seen him. Maybe she was going crazy. Unfamiliar house, unfamiliar clothes, unfamiliar people. Definitely an option. She knew she hadn't just seen that pale skin or that white-silvery hair or those long, slim fingers. She knew she hadn't just seen Sebastian. Her brother. Her dead brother.

Something was wrong, for sure. No doubt about it. Her breathing had quickened as she took a step back and tripped over the rugged rug placed between the two rooms. She slipped as her clumsy self would have it and landed straight on her back. It knocked the breath out of her which wasn't helping with her minor panic attack at all. She scrambled to her feet as the door across the hall opened from the inside this time and he stepped out.

Clary gulped as she drew the pencil from its hiding spot in her hair and held it out defensively at the boy in front of her. It was him. No doubt about that. It was her brother who she had seen die in their mother's s about two months ago ir He did look different though, he stared at her questioningly with green eyes—wait green? No, they were supposed to be black from being tinted with demon blood before he was born. And his jaw looked softer, not as sharp as before. He looked like the boy from her dream in Edom. She almost wanted to jump up and hug him, hoping for a sense of familiarity but chose against it.

"What are you doing Clary? God, I was trying to get dressed and you just waltz in my room like—" Sebastian stated casually (well, partly angry) as he stepped toward Clary.

"Don't come any closer." Clary spoke sternly, though she felt like her voice was shaking. She glanced at the single misplaced table and wandered if she could break the picture frame on top to use the glass as a weapon before Sebastian came after her. She was reminded of what Jace had taught her during training about using your environment to find a weapon.

Her brother stared at her quizzically. "What has gotten into you Clarissa?"

Clary gulped, "H-How are you here?"

"Well, when a mommy and a daddy love each other very, very much—"

"Stop Sebastian." Clary spoke frustrated, rubbing her hands over her eyes.

Sebastian stopped immediately. "What'd you just call me? Earth to Clary, its Jonathan. Your brother."

Clary's head whipped up and her eyes widened. She nodded her head slowly. "Right, sorry. I was just feeling a little uneasy…I-I'm good now."

Sebastian—or Jonathan, just shrugged his shoulders and walked back into the room behind him.

Clary slowly backed into her bedroom and carefully shut the door behind her. She leaned her head up against the door frame for a minute, attempting to catch her breath that had suddenly been knocked out of her. At least there was a little bit of comfort in this room.

Clary held onto the wall for balance as she somehow managed to make it to her bed before collapsing. Clary wanted to curl up into a ball and cry. This wasn't her life. It took all her strength to sit up and think straight. She wiped at her eyes to stop any tears from falling before they even had the chance.

She knew this wasn't her world but for now, she'd just have to play along. The best place to get answers was the Institute, from Jace and the Lightwoods. If she could make it through an awkward morning and manage to slip out the door, maybe she could fix things before they got to out of hand.

So far, the only difference was that her brother was alive and living with her. On the positive side, at least he was her real brother and not Sebastian. She had always wanted a brother and now it seemed she finally had one. Maybe things wouldn't be all that different. Straightening up, Clary stood and recomposed herself as she stepped back out into the corridor.

She began walking towards the kitchen when the misplaced table stopped her. On top, was the picture she'd thought about breaking earlier to use as a weapon. Now, she could see the picture the frame held. It was a black and white photograph of Jocelyn and Valentine when they were much younger, maybe nineteen or so. Valentine arms were wrapped around Jocelyn's waist and they were standing sideways, staring at the camera, both smiling happily.

Clary rubbed her hand over the glass where her mother stood. She lifted her head up and headed towards the kitchen. She could hear jumbled voices as a few pans clanged together. It smelt like burnt toast and for a minute she was reminded of Izzy's cooking skills, or the lack so of them.

She pushed the wooden door open and stepped inside. Her mouth gaped open and it took all her strength not to cry out. Jonathan sat at the breakfast bar and across from him stood Valentine Morgenstern. Tall, muscular, formidable. He turned and gave Clary a small smile. "Good morning Clarissa. Are you feeling all right?"

Clary smiled weakly, despite the bile she tasted in the back of her throat. "Fine, why wouldn't I?"

She strode over to Jonathan and took a seat next to him and picked up the piece of toast that sat in front of her before deciding against it and setting it down. Valentine and Jonathan stared at her for a moment before Jonathan spoke up.

"So, Dad, can I go hang out with Eric and Simon after school?" Clary felt relieved she hadn't eaten that toast because if she had, she'd be choking on it right now. In what world, would a boy like Simon be friends with Jonathan? Of course, she didn't know how Jonathan would act in this world, as her brother, but Sebastian would never befriend Simon.

"Yes, that will be fine. Clary, you're going to have to take the subway home. I've got work."

"Work?" Clary was confused, and she needed answers so she didn't care how crazy she seemed she had to ask. "Shadowhunters don't work like mundanes…"

Valentine glanced at her before looking at Jonathan. "I think she's talking nerd." He said with a shrug of his shoulders. Clary grabbed the glass of water that sat in front of her and gulped it. They weren't Shadowhunters—or at least they didn't know they were. But she did.

"Anyways, you two better get going. I'll be home late from the office so you're on your own for dinner." Valentine said sipping his coffee. Clary made out a small postal stamp on a letter sticking out of the case her father carried. Morgenstern Law Firm. A lawyer. Valentine Morgenstern was a lawyer. Clary almost wanted to laugh at how bizarre all of this was, but the better half of her wouldn't allow it.

Clary grabbed what she presumed was her bookbag and followed Jonathan to the door. "Why can't mom take us?" She whispered, sweat dripping down her forehead as she thought about all the possible answers her brother might say.

Instead, Jonathan froze and grabbed Clary's arm to pull her back. "What? Clary, you're worrying me. Are you sick?"

"N-No, why…?" Clary spoke in an uneven tone.

He took in a deep breath through gritted teeth before answering, barely above a whisper. "Clarissa, our mother died seventeen years ago, giving birth to _you_."

Clary had no response, she felt like she was on the verge of tears. It was fake. Unreal. All of this. It was so odd, hearing those words. Because she could so easily describe their mother to him and he would most likely be shocked. The way she could tell him exactly how Jocelyn's hair was a few shades darker than her own. How her eyelashes were long. How her features were well-defined. How Jonathan had inherited her slim fingers. How she was as stubborn as Clary herself. How she was one of the best Shadowhunters in Idris. But Jonathan would only look at her like she was a lunatic.

Instead though, she grinned happily and nodded her head. "Of course." She turned away and simply walked out the door and began walking. She heard Jonathan call after her in protest but she couldn't care less.

After a few minutes, Clary figured Jonathan had given up and headed off to school. It was weird, seeing how her brother would act towards her if they had all grown up together and lived a nice, ordinary life. But things hadn't happened that way.

Clary was pulled out of her thoughts as she heard an engine revving and a beat-up car pull up beside her. She looked over and saw Jonathan, driving alongside her.

"Get in the car Clarissa." He said, irritated though there was worry in his voice.

"No." She answered.

"We're going to be late to school."

"Go ahead, I'm walking. I'll see you there."

Jonathan was about to say something back, but instead just took a breath and nodded his head. "Okay then." With that, he sped up and drove off. Clary figured he knew how stubborn she was, in this world and hers, and had learned just to give in if the matter wasn't urgent.

With that, Clary turned onto a side street and headed for the subway. She didn't know where she went to school in this world. But she did however know the way to the Institute. And that was her destination.

* * *

 **OK first, I just want to say SORRY. This chapter was a nightmare to write because I didn't know how I wanted Clary to react to everything. I think i did a good job and I was pleased with it!**

 **Secondly, THIS PART IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT. So, I had this idea. Starting with the next chapter (chapter 3), I'm going to name the chapter after an actual chapter from the books (ONLY The Mortal Instruments Books 1-6). The first person to PM or review saying what book it's from, will have their name mentioned in the following chapter. If that was confusing, feel free to PM and I'll attempt to explain it better. I just thought that was a cool idea and I wanted a sort of way to interact with all of you!**

 **Lastly, THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO HAS READ MY STORY! HAVE A GOOD DAY AND BYE!**


	3. The Hostility of Dreams

**Hello everyone, I'm back with the newest installment of The Mortal Instruments: Parallel Universe! I hope you all enjoy this chapter and be sure to review. Thank you to all the new people who followed and favorited my story too! Enjoy!**

* * *

Clary huffed as she made her way up second avenue towards the old Catholic church that was the Institute. She would have opted to take the subway but apparently didn't have her metro card with her or any form of cash. The air was chilled and she wished she would have brought a coat but her stubborn-self refused to turn back, even though at that point she was only a few blocks from her home. Clary shoved past buzzing people, coughing as a tattooed man blew vape in her face.

She rolled her eyes as she struggled between stages two and three of grief: sadness and anger. Less than fifteen minutes ago, she had let a few tears slip out, relieved that she was still capable of the emotion. She wished she could have sank to the ground and cuddled herself in a comforting manner but that wasn't an option. Now, frustration was taking over. Everything had practically sunk in after the revelation of her mother's death. Fake death. Clary tried to take her mind off the mental pain and focus on the physical pain. She may have been training a lot with Simon but even her legs ached after running for nearly an hour straight.

Clary stopped for a minute to catch her breath before looking up. She glanced around her atmosphere and recognized she was only a few blocks from the Institute. She ran forward and skirted to a stop in front of the old church. She squinted her eyes and the glamour peeled off and revealed the building she had grown so used to seeing for over a year.

She took an inhale and stepped forward, closing the distance between her and the front gates. Her hand grazed across the iron gate and she felt cold sweat roll down her back now that her body temperature had cooled smoehwhat. A sense of familiarity washed over her for a moment as she walked up the front steps and to the grand, arched door.

She placed her hand on it and sighed. Her eyes fluttered shut and she whispered. "Clary—" Before she could finish, the doors swung opened and Clary stepped inside. She felt thankful she didn't have to finish her sentence because what surname was she to use? She'd grown up a Fray, turned into a Fairchild when she learned about the Shadowhunter universe. But here, she had always been a Morgenstern. It didn't matter though, what was vital was what was going on right now. Figuring out what was happening.

Clary entered the nave of the church as a chill ran down her spine. In the dim light her breath was visible with each exhale. Her steps creaked despite her effort to move silently; if she had her stele she would have drawn on a soundless rune. Looking now at the candelabra, a spark of hope filled as she noticed that it wasn't candles lighting the interior but rather witchlight.

She hadn't registered that she had lost any ambition. But now, looking back at her run, her mind had drifted to some deep, dark thoughts about how things could become disarray. How the Lightwoods or Jace may not recognize her. How she may get trapped here forever. How she may come accustom to all of this if she stayed longer. Clary couldn't afford to think like that though, she had to stay optimistic.

Clary strode down the center aisle and to the front of the church. Reaching to the side of the wall, she pressed the call button. A mundane would believe she were crazy as she stood in front of the wall like something was going to happen but she knew. Clary could see the iron doors that would glide open when the elevator reached her. Only people with the Sight would see it and for a moment that frightened her. What if she was imagining the entrance from how many times she had been here? What if here, she didn't have the Sight and she was losing her mind. Maybe what she thought had been the last year of her life was a dream and this was home. She stopped. She had too.

She tapped her foot impatiently and fidgeted with her fingernails as she stood. The recognizable creak of the elevator sounded as it lowered and came to a halt. Clary gingerly stepped inside as the gates clanked shut.

Clary was staring at herself in the mirrored-wall, she turned slightly and took in her figure. Clary felt nervous about herself suddenly. Her hands were pulling her hair down and letting it fall in loose curls at her shoulders. She wished she didn't look so sweaty and exhausted. She felt self-conscious about her narrow hips and slender build and her small chest.

Her thoughts were interrupted as the gilded doors separated and Clary froze in her spot. Three people stood in front of her. A girl and two boys. Isabelle. Alec. And Jace.

Clary sucked in a breath, about to speak but couldn't find her voice. A grin spread across her freckled-face that quickly vanished. These people were alien to her. Isabelle gave her a curious look while Alec offered her a small smirk. Her gaze averted to Jace. His jaw was tightened and his eyes appeared darker than usual, and he glared at her maliciously.

"How did you get in here?" Alec asked, his smirk fading as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"I-I…" Clary's mind was buzzing and she couldn't string together a sentence. Her gaze fell on Isabelle. Her eyes widened as she took in the dark-haired girl's attire. She wore a pale-yellow sundress that flowed loosely on her body. The sleeves were capped and the collar was high. Her jet-black hair was barely visible as it was pulled back into a tight and neat bun and she wore minimal makeup. She looked nothing like Isabelle Lightwood, she seemed…delicate.

"She's just some stupid mundane that wandered in here." Alec said in a bored tone, half turning around, Isabelle gripping his shoulder and speaking lightly, immediately retracting her hand from his touch. "We have to inform the Clave. She has the Sight."

Alec seemed standard dress wise. He wore a loose hoodie and ripped jeans and his hair was shaggy and untamed. Like usual.

Jace was still staring at her. His tanned face was a bit red and from the white tank top and baggy shorts he wore, he must've been mid-training when he was notified of her arrival.

Of course, the elevator let anyone in the Institute know when there was an arrival. They must not have been expecting anyone if they all gathered to greet her. Clary's heart sank, they were oblivious to the relationships they once had to her. She felt her temperature boil as she became angry with them.

"I'm not some stupid mundane. I'm Clarissa Morgenstern." She rudely spoke, eyeing each of them harshly.

She watched the three of them exchange glances and Jace nodded his head. For a moment, there seemed to be hope. Jace stepped forward and placed his hand on Clary's arm. "Clary," He spoke gently in his husky voice.

Clary's heart sped up and she met his gaze, smiling softly, "Jace," His eyes widened for a moment. She felt her skin tingle at his touch. No, it wasn't a tingle. It was a burn. A burn that Clary was familiar to. A rune. She let out a gasp and glanced at her arm before turning to Jace. He wore a sinister grin and muttered 'sweet dreams' as he stepped aside to catch her falling body.

Clary groaned as her eyes fluttered shut and the last thing she felt was Jace's arms gripping her petite figure and preventing her from smashing onto the wooden surface below.

* * *

Jace's eyes darted from left to right. He squeezed his hand tightly around the silver chain in his hand. His breathing was heavy from excessive running and his legs were sore, but he barely seemed to notice. One thing was on his mind.

He had spent nearly an hour searching Central Park for Clary. The park was deserted with only a few strays straggling around, trying to stay warm. It was late October and the temperature was dropping as winter neared. Snow was still far off, but the breeze that made people shiver in the daytime now howled at night.

After a while, Jace's senses returned to him and he realized the best way to find Clary was a tracking spell. He had left the park and found the shortest route to Clary's apartment. The subway would've taken to long, so he ran instead. It took forty-five minutes, but he never stopped. People eyed him oddly, but he ignored their glares. Clary was all he could think about.

He skirted to a stop I front of the abandoned apartment and took the front steps two at a time. He twisted the knob, which was unlocked. However, as he pushed the door wouldn't budge. The bolt was locked and keeping trespassers from entering.

Jace groaned and kicked the door harshly. He spun on his heel, looking around for another entrance. It clicked in his brain as he ran around the other side of the building to where Clary's bedroom would be. Her window was about four feet above the ground. And unlocked.

Of course, Jace had already known the window would be unlocked. He had managed to sneak into Clary's rooms countless times late in the night. They could never get enough of each other. And the thing was, he would simply come and lay down and hold Clary. They would talk quietly about everything and then drift to sleep. It reminded him of that night in Alicante. Except now he could at least hold her in his arms and he knew they had more than one night together; they had a lifetime.

Jace smirked, and was tempted to snicker as he pushed the panes up and easily hoisted himself over the ledge. He landed softly on the wooden floors and glimpsed around. He inhaled and could smell the scent of laundry detergent and paint. He couldn't help but smile to himself as he took it in.

His mind focused again and Jace treaded slowly towards the door. He had to check to make sure nobody was here. He guessed Luke and Jocelyn were in Alicante for some Clave meeting since Robert and Maryse were gone too. And Simon wasn't in the house; he should be looking for Clary. Him and Isabelle should still be searching if she is missing.

And then, when they find her, they'll bring her back to the Institute. That's when they will know Jace is gone, that's when they'll go looking for him, that's when Jace will know Clary's back.

He creeped into the hallway, stepping on several particularly creaky floorboards. Jace sighed relentlessly, giving up on trying to keep quiet. If anyone was home, they would have heard him by now. In the silence, the screeching sounded like thunder to his ears.

Jace did a thorough search of the house, which was empty as he had suspected. He stalked back into Clary's room and looked around. He could use anything here to track her but nothing seemed to work in his eyes.

He stood at her desk and rummaged through the drawers, which mostly had art supplies and a spear stele besides the one she had brought with them earlier that night.

Jace found a sketchbook on the top and grabbed it quickly, flipping through the pages. He was careful not to rip the delicate paper with the beautiful drawings on them. Most the sketches were attempts that Clary had made to draw Jace. He knew she had difficulty with it since there had to be over a dozen of him in the same style. Some looked like they had taken hours, others looked rushed and hasty. They were all magnificent and drawn in a professional way. Just seeing these sketches made Jace love Clary even more, which made him even more determined to find her.

Jace sat down the sketchbook after a minute, he couldn't waste his time. He could have grabbed a hairbrush, shirt, or even a paintbrush she had touched but he couldn't. It felt odd to take Clary's belongings in such a manner.

Jace put everything back in its place and walked to her bed, plopping down on the mattress sprawled with blankets and pillows. His gaze landed on her wall where some of her artwork hung. There were also a few pictures that had been taken and pinned up; mostly of her family and friends. The one on the end was recognizable as it was the same photograph he had of him and Clary. They were so connected.

Jace bit his bottom lip, a physical pain he had grown use to and used to suppress his feelings.

Something shimmered on Clary's nightstand that caught Jace's trained eye. The moonlight from outside shined down on a silver chain. Connected to the chain was the Morgenstern family ring. Jace reached forward and lifted the chain in his hand. It glistened in the moonlight as he moved it closer to him and held the ring in his palm. He closely examined the ring. It had a 'M' engraved in it and stars around the band.

Jace himself had worn this ring for over half a decade, believing the 'M' was a 'W' for Wayland. It seemed like a lifetime ago, but in reality, it had only been little over a year. Once he found out he wasn't a Wayland (or a Morgenstern) he had given the ring, on the silver chain, to Clarissa.

She had worn it every day since, for him. And today, she had gone without it. He wondered why she would do such a thing, had she planned this? His mind was so cluttered. He wanted to find Clary but he kept letting his mind rift off.

Jace closed his eyes and clutched the ring. Clary had used this same ring to track him when Sebastian had captured him and taken his soul.

But now, it belonged to Clary. A girl with Morgenstern blood in her veins. This is what Jace needed to track Clary.

Jace grinned and swiftly ran outside, throwing himself out the window and pulling it shut behind him. Jace ran a little way down the road before ducking into a dark alley.

He pulled out his stele and applied a glamour rune on his upper right arm before stepping out of the alley. There was only one or two people in sight but Jace took the precaution anyway. Jace then lifted his stele and on the back of his hand he drew the lines of a tracking rune. Jace had grown immune to the sting from applying the rune and slipped his stele back into his pocket.

Jace pulled the necklace with the ring on it from his pocket and held it in his left hand and closed his eyes. He focused and thought only about Clary while the rune took effect. After several minutes, nothing happened. Jace wouldn't accept that the tracking had failed.

He ran back to Central Park and tried it again there in several places. His hand burned and the rune now vanished more quickly after so many applications. The shape of the ring had made an indent in his skin from how tightly he held it.

Jace threw the ring down on the ground and collapsed to his knees. The spell couldn't have failed. He was going to find Clary with it. Either Clary had applied a rune herself to keep others from tracking her, or she was… No, Jace told himself. He had to stop letting his thoughts get fogged with an outcome like such. Clary would fight, and now, so would Jace.

Jace grasped the ring, pulling it from the wet grass and stood. He hated to admit it, but he needed help in finding Clary. She had plenty of other people who loved her. Simon, Isabelle, Alec, Jocelyn, Luke. Himself. With a heave, Jace began walking back to the Institute. He could no longer run and he knew it wasn't that far of a walk so he paced himself. He stared ahead, glancing at the sky. The moon was lowering, he'd manage to stay out most of the night. Maybe Simon and Isabelle had been successful and were back at the Institute with Clary.

The thought made Jace smile a bit, but he knew it wasn't true. He would know. But what he did know, was that Clary was in danger.

The elevator creaked and groaned as the doors flew open and Jace stepped inside his home. Church was at the entranceway and rubbed against Jace's legs. Jace rolled his eyes and reached down to pet the cat's back, causing him to purr. "Where are Isabelle and Alec?" Jace asked the cat whose purring paused and he began leading the way.

Church stopped at the doorway to the library before striding away and halfway down the corridor, plopped onto his side, and sprawled out. Jace ignored the feline and pushed the heavy wooden door open and stepped inside. Izzy stood at the desk with a book in her hand while Simon and Alec talked in the corner, Simon was holding a book open and pointing at the text to support whatever he was saying to Alec.

Isabelle gasped when she saw him. "Jace," She sat the book down and crossed the room towards Jace, Simon and Alec on her trail. "Where have you been?" Alec asked, concern in his voice.

"I went looking for Clary. Is she here?" Jace spoke, his voice empty of emotion.

"No, Simon and I never found her." Isabelle replied.

"You told me you were going to bed Jace. By the Angel, next time consider using the front door and telling someone." Alec was obviously irritated, and stressed.

Jace ignored Alec. "We need a way to find Clary."

"That's what we were looking for." Simon chimed in.

"And? What'd you find?"

"Not much. Isabelle and I found no trace of her after you two left. But Alec suggested we use a tracking spell. I was going to go get something from the apartment—"

"I already tried that." Jace interrupted, pulling the necklace with the ring on it from his pocket. "Nothing happened. I can't trace her."

Simon pursed his lips and didn't retort back. Instead, Alec spoke up. "We can have Magnus try. He's a warlock, he might be able to find her."

Jace nodded his head. "Okay. When can we go see him?"

"I called him earlier. He had to gather some belongings to perform the ceremony. He said it would be several hours."

Isabelle stepped forward. "You should rest until Magnus gets here. We should all rest."

"No, I need to find another way to find Clary. In case this doesn't work." Jace insisted.

Isabelle crossed her arms over her chest and sighed. "Fine, okay. We'll all keep looking."

"All right then. Alec, Simon, what were you talking about when I walked in? Any idea on how to find Clary?"

The two boys exchanged glances. Simon looked pleading for a moment, but Alec's mouth was set in a firm line. It was almost ironic how Simon and Alec had grown so close. Before, it seemed they despised one another. But now they each had a common goal. Isabelle. They each loved her and somehow it had brought them slightly closer.

"No, we thought we had a lead but it was a bust." Simon answered.

Jace stared between the two for a moment before making his way deeper into the library. The next hour was spent analyzing various books about missing Shadowhunters, helpful spells, and even myths about how to find them.

They each scanned books and muttered things that were utterly unusable in the end. The group was tired, and the only thing keeping any of them going was Clary. And Jace. Because Alec and Isabelle knew how Jace acted when something terrible like this happened; he'd blame and torture himself. He'd done it before in the past, but this was the first major time Clary was involved and it had a major impact on his behavior.

All the books and information seemed pretty much useless. They needed something stronger, more concrete. They needed more evidence on what happened to Clary and what could have captured her. So far, all they knew was an Achaieral demon had flown in and swooped her up. Jace slammed what had to be his tenth book down and groaned in frustration. "This is hopeless." He grumbled, pacing to the front as Izzy walked in with a plate. "I made sandwiches. Figured we should eat something."

Alec and Simon joined Jace and Isabelle as they began to eat. Jace was the only one who didn't pick up a sandwich.

"These are surprisingly good Izzy." Alec spoke, his mouth half full.

Isabelle smirked, happy to break some of the tension that was clustered in the air. "I've been practicing more, actually following recipes and not adding my own twists to them." She gazed at Jace. "You should eat too."

"I'm good. I'm not hungry. When's Magnus going to be here Alec?" Jace asked impatiently.

"Soon, he texted he was on his way a few minutes ago,"

Jace leaned up against the mahogany desk and waited with his arms across his chest. The other three talked lightly, but it was clear nobody was exactly in the mood to discuss the weather on this early October morning.

Jace stood up straight and made his way across the library back to the book he had left. He figured he might as well be useful while they waited for Magnus. After scanning the same book he had earlier slammed down, the noise of a door opening and closing caught his attention. Jace perched the book on the edge of the shelf and paced to where the others had already gathered.

Isabelle and Simon stood next to one another with Alec to the right of Izzy and Magnus standing across from the trio. Jace crossed the floor and stood beside Alec. The rising sun gleamed through one of the windows high above and reflected off Magnus's bejeweled jacket, blinding Jace.

Magnus Bane smiled down at Jace. His hair was spiked up with an abundant amount of hair gel (yet his hair didn't appear to look greasy) and he wore neon yellow pants with a dark blue blouse covered by one of his favorite purple jackets.

"What took so long?" Simon asked, shifting his weight from one foot to the other.

"Like I said, I had to prepare." Magnus spoke confidentially, gesturing to his bizarre outfit.

Jace frowned and clenched his fists at his side. "Clary's life is at risk and you spent the last two hours getting dressed?!" He stepped forward, tilting his head up a little to meet Magnus' gaze. "By the Angel, Magnus I swear I could—"

Alec intervened, placing himself between his brother and boyfriend. "Stop Jace. Magnus is here now and he's going to help us find Clary. Just relax, please."

"Everyone is just a little tense…" Isabelle muttered as Simon leaned in and whispered something to Isabelle and took her hand. Whatever he had said seemed to comfort Izzy.

"Anyways, Magnus did bring some important stuff. He's going to try and track Clary with a tracking spell but if that doesn't work he's going to summon a Greater Demon that can track people who don't want to be found." Alec stated as him and Magnus walked to the desk with the others trailing.

"It's a fairly simple ceremony, it shouldn't take long but let's try an easier tracking spell first." Magnus turned to face Jace after setting his bag down and held his hand out, palm outstretched.

Jace bit his lower lip and reached into his pocket and pulled out the silver chain with the ring dangling on it. He set it in Magnus' palm and crossed his arms over his chest. He felt uneasy that Magnus could so easily read him. Magnus grabbed a small bottle and poured a few drops of the mixture on the necklace. He began chanting in Latin and Jace could recognize a few words. Track. Find. Clarissa Fairchild. Search.

Jace watched carefully as Magnus finished his chant and his cat-like eyes landed on Alec. "Nothing, I can't find her."

Jace sucked in his breath and nodded his head. "Let's get this summoning over with then."

Magnus pocketed the necklace and turned to his bag. He pulled out at least a dozen candles which he instructed Isabelle and Simon to place in a dodecagon and light. He then took a piece of chalk and began drawing lines inside the shape.

Alec observed watchfully and studiously, as if he was memorizing the ritual. Jace sat at the desk and flipped through pages of the spell book Magnus had brought. Everything was in Latin but Jace could read most of it. They were simple spells; healing and such.

Jace didn't think summoning greater demons was exactly easy but then again, it wasn't his strong suit. He remembered the first time he had ever encountered a greater demon, Abandon.

It was at Clary's old apartment when they had first found the mortal cup hidden in a deck of tarot cards. Alec had tried killing the beastly creature and had been severely injured. In fact, it was Simon who killed the demon. He was a half descent Shadowhunter after all.

It was also the first time Jace realized what an important asset Clary would be as a Shadowhunter; how naturally it came to her. She was frizzled but like a glamour, Jace could see past her character and tell she was a truly amazing Shadowhunter.

"Jace, Magnus needs his book." Alec spoke, pulling Jace out of his trance and handing the book of spells to Alec.

"All right everyone, take a step back." Jace stayed put but did straighten up in the chair so he could watch the ritual. Simon, Isabelle, and Alec all stepped back as a few steps.

Magnus held up his hand causing a blue blaze to spark from his fingers. He aimed the flames at the book which disintegrated. Everyone's mouth gaped open and a vein in Jace's forehead appeared as his mouth closed shut and he was about to make a nasty remark.

Magnus smirked and glanced at everyone. He snapped his fingers and the ashes lifted from the ground and whirled through the air as they formed into a shape. The fragments shined and then a spell book reformed in his hand.

"I don't let anyone use my spell book without some sort of embedded lock on it." Magnus chuckled under his breath as Simon and Isabelle exchanged glances. "Now, back to what we were doing." Magnus focused his attention on the illustration below him and began chanting in Latin again.

* * *

 **Ahh Magnus, what's not to love about his charming demeanor?**

 **So, I know I seem to constantly be changing the dates I upload, but I think I've got it this time. So recently, I realized putting out a four thousand word chapter every week is nearly impossible with school and a social life, so I just want to let you all know (if you even read this XD) that I'll post a new chapter every two weeks. It'll mostly be less than two weeks but I'll probably never have a chapter out one week after the last.  
So, clarification: NEW CHAPTERS EVERY 8-14 DAYS**

 **Until the next chapter, BYE!**

 **Oh, and don't forget to try and guess which book this chapter was named after for a chance to have your name featured in this story! PM or leave a review!**


	4. A Door Into the Darkness

**Hello everyone! This chapter is LONG overdue. I lost inspiration for this story but I am finding it again. So sorry y'all. Hope you enjoy this, R &R!**

The flames of the candles began to quiver, moving restlessly; they never extinguished though. Magnus was now shouting in Latin, his eyes looked as if they were possessed. A deep blue that shimmered like rippling waves. A hole appeared in the ground where the symbols and lines had been drawn and blazes of fire ignited. The sound of the flames thrashing could barely be heard over Magnus. The shouting continued and looks of anxiousness and terror crossed over everyone's faces as they exchanged glances.

A tall and wide figure appeared from the gaping hole, it started screeching and Jace, Isabelle, and Simon covered their ears in an attempt from hearing the piercing sound. The demon had stumpy legs and arms and a fat torso. Its single eye rested below its mouth which was located on what presumably would be the forehead on a human. The eyeball was completely black and seemed like it was staring at everything. The demon was covered in rough scales and had ooze dripping from its pores.

Magnus scowled and kept his arms out, holding the demon in place. He lifted one arm and shot a blue spark at the decagon and yelled something that couldn't be heard over the demon's yells.

Once Magnus finished speaking, the demon halted and stood still, completely under Magnus' control. It's breathing was heavy and it slumped over, obeying the warlock. Magnus took a deep breath and the others moved their hands back down to their sides. "Berluhm," Magnus steadied his breathing and cleared his throat. "Demon of tracking. I, Magnus Bane, the High Warlock of Brooklyn, demand of you to track down Clarissa Fairchild."

Berluhm cried out and pushed against the walls of the invisible barricade he was in. "It's no use, I have you under my control. Now, cooperate and I will send you back to your home dimension."

The fluid seeping from the demon fell to the ground and began to evaporate the lines that kept it trapped in the ring. Magnus shot his hand out and hit the demon with his blue fire and yelled something in a foreign language.

Berluhm screamed out and eyed Magnus. He closed his eye and inhaled deeply, longer than any mundane could ever breathe in.

"What is it doing?" Simon whispered to Isabelle nervously, Jace and Alec in earshot.

"It's communicating with Magnus."

"It can't speak?"

"No," Isabelle glanced at Simon, "Most demons can't. The mouth is there for other purposes. Such as screaming." She spoke, glaring at the demon.

Simon shook his head and glanced between Magnus and Berluhm. Nothing changed for several minutes. Ten minutes. Half an hour. Magnus, whose arms were still outstretched, guided his hands downwards and Berluhm vanished into the ground.

Magnus took a ragged breath and stumbled to the desk, using it for balance. Alec rushed to Magnus' side to aid him. Alec rubbed Magnus' back, giving him time to regain his composure.

"Well, where's Clary?" Jace asked impatiently once Magnus had gathered his strength and recovered.

"Berluhm was unable to track her. She's not in this universe, or any other realm." Magnus muttered, his gaze on the ground.

"What does that mean?" Simon came closer with Isabelle at his side.

"It means Clary is gone." Jace stated blandly, his expression fading and hardening.

"I'm sorry Jace," Isabelle came up next to Jace.

"Don't apologize. I know that's not true." Jace snapped back.

There was an eerie silence as Magnus, Alec, and Simon exchanged looks. If a Greater Demon couldn't find Clary throughout all the realms than nobody else could. Of course, Jace refused to believe something so obscure. Who could blame him?

"Jace, the tracking failed. Clary is…" Alec trailed off.

"What, dead? You expect me to believe some soulless entity from Hell? Or your warlock boyfriend for that matter. He's a Downworlder, he can't be trusted." Jace said with disgust.

"That's enough Jace," Isabelle's expression changed from apologetic to irritation. "Just because this happened, doesn't mean you have to take it out on the people who love and care about you."

Jace stood his guard. "My, I'm so sorry Isabelle. Let me just go on pretending nothing terrible has ever happened and I didn't just lose Clary." His voice was heavy with sarcasm before he muttered, "Like you would know how it feels."

Isabelle stomped her foot and let out a growl. "Might I remind you Jace that Max is dead."

"And whose fault was that?!" Jace shouted back.

Isabelle was about to jump at Jace but Simon wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her away from Jace as Alec stepped between the two, pushing Jace away from Izzy. Alec didn't look any happier than Isabelle but he remained neutral with a firm grip on Jace.

"Both of you, stop it." Alec said through gritted teeth.

Jace relaxed some, but didn't look in Isabelle's direction as he turned to face Magnus who had begun speaking.

"I can perform one final task that may be helpful. I know I said Clary is gone, but I'm not taking a demon's word."

"But you had control over it, it couldn't have lied to you. You were its master." Simon said.

"There are ways that a demon can lie even when others are governing it. It may have had higher orders, or was resisting the spell. It rarely happens, but it is possible." Magnus walked towards the bag he'd brought. "I can try a spell like the tracking one. Except, this one will only determine if she is living or dead."

Jace stood straight and Alec released his hold on him. "Do it." He said, a little bit of hope gleaming in his eyes.

Magnus nodded his head and sifted through his belongings. He pulled the necklace from his pocket again and this time put a purple mixture on it. A drop was more than enough as a puff of steam emitted from the piece of jewelry. He held out his hand and a spark ignited from it. Magnus circled his hand over the necklace and closed his eyes, focusing.

Jace stared intently as if he could speed up the process. Magnus opened his eyes wide and nodded. "Clary's alive."

Jace smirked and felt his heart speed up as he pushed himself away from Alec and out of the library. He was full of ambition and lust to find Clary as he ran to his bedroom.

Silence and darkness surrounded Clary. She was locked in a cell of some sorts and nothing seemed familiar. She had woken up on the cold cement floor, a cut along the side of her face and leg like she had just been tossed inside. Her mouth tasted metallically and she had a dizzying headache for a while. Whenever she blinked, she only saw an image of Jace's eyes, calm and comforting and then swiftly changing to hard and cruel as if he enjoyed treating her like this.

At first Clary thought she might have been locked in the Silent City but knew otherwise from the way the cell looked. She had seen it when Jace had been locked up and it looked nothing like this. This cell made the Silent City seem like home. Here, it was pitch black and dead quiet. Nobody had come by, it was like she had been locked up and forgotten.

\- **((AN: SKIP BETWEEN UNIVERSES. I CAN'T FIGURE OUT HOW TO GET THE LINE HERE.))**

Clary had curled up on the floor, praying this was all some terrible prank or horrific nightmare. She'd cried silently, feeling lighter as if a great deal of weight had been lifted from her shoulders. After some time, no tears would come and she simply sniffled. Then she had screamed angrily, banging on the wall, begging for someone to let her out. The cell was small, a six by six-foot cube perhaps, Clary had bumped into the ceiling when she stood on the bench. She'd touched every part, hoping to poke her finger through a tiny hole, or scrape her hand on a door hinge. But nothing. Now though, she sat in the corner, her arms wrapped her legs as she trembled from the cold, stale air.

Her breaths were small and steady, Clary felt like she might run out of oxygen at any moment and her body would rot and decay and never be discovered. Or she'd starve to death, feel her skin poking against her ribs as her stomach howled loudly. She thought momentarily about each swallow of saliva, as if she could preserve it and live off of it until she was rescued. She bit her lip and forced herself to relax and lean her head against the wall. Sleep seemed like the best option now, a place where she could escape this awful reality and pass time quickly.

As hard as Clary tried, sleep never came. The only noise was the growling of her stomach and the small sound of her inhales and exhales. She passed the time counting, once she had reached twenty thousand, she had given up. If she did her math correctly, that meant she had been counting aimlessly for nearly six hours. A small yelp left her mouth at the realization. She screamed louder, and pounded her fist into the jagged ground. Blood began to stream down her hands and she felt shards of rock stick inside the cuts.

She collapsed back and almost instantly, began to sob uncontrollably. She hated this feeling of being trapped, of not knowing what was going on outside. If it was night or day. Rainy or sunny. She cried for freedom. She cried for help. She cried for Jocelyn and Jace and Simon and Alec and Isabelle. She cried for her life.

After an hour or so, her sobs had turned to sniffles and no more tears would come once more. Clary laid down flat on the bench, staring up at nothingness. Her thoughts pondered, but she tried to stay optimistic, or at least neutral. She heard a loud bang and jumped up to her feet instinctively. Nothing happened though. After a few more moments of silence, Clary relaxed and told herself it was just her mind playing tricks on her.

She had studied hundreds of books since she became a Shadowhunter of ways her kind had been tortured physically and mentally in the past and how they survived. But most the time, they died and these were just lessons that Shadowhunters needed to learn. She never thought she might live such an experience. This was ten times worse than when she had to put on a smile and pretend she was okay living with Sebastian and fake Jace.

Her thoughts were interrupted as she heard a small screech. She sat up on the bed and wished for a rune of awareness so that she could identify the noise. Her breathing quickened as the soft thud of footsteps approached. Clary stood up right and made her way to the wall opposite of the bench in one stride. She stood, glancing at the wall as if she could break it open with her eyes.

There was a soft chuckle and Clary spun around, seeing Jace opposite of her. She gasped, "Jace!" A glare passed through his eyes at the mention of his name. She could tell he wanted to question her. All protective instinct left her and she threw herself at him. A groan escaped her lips as she fell forward onto the bench. He wasn't real. "Calm yourself, I didn't come to free you, just feed you."

"W-What? No, let me out, please." She begged, trying to locate the softer side of her boyfriend.

"Eat. I'll come back for you later once we've decided how to handle the situation." The cool never once left his voice as he stood with confidence.

"No, don't leave—" Clary stopped mid-sentence as the holograph dissipated. She fell to her knees and let out a single noise, somewhere between a cry and yelp. She stayed like that for what felt like eternity before dragging herself to the bench. If she squinted, Clary could make out the faint outline of a rock. Witchlight. She grabbed it up and it began to glow a dim light. Sitting in front of her was a tall glass of water and a tray with bread and butter on it. She was about to inhale it all when she stopped herself relentlessly. She wouldn't give them any such pleasure by eating the food they'd provided. Clary's eyes moved past the food to what lay next to it on the platter; a stele.

She swiftly snatched it up and threw herself at the wall. With all the strength she had left, she conjured up an opening rune. Clary felt her muscles in her arms ache as she pressed the tip into the stone and focused. The lines flowed on the rocky surface like ink on a canvas. She felt more burning, a stinging pain.

Clary let out a scream and dropped the stele, clutching her hand. There was a red line down the center that began welting up like a burn. The stele laid on the ground, blazing red like it had just been pulled out of a fire. She let out another shout and looked down at her blistering palm. She breathed in and out carefully and cried out as blood from her split knuckles flowed into the burn.

She had heard of things like this before. A stele specifically designed by the Iron Sisters to only allow the user to draw certain runes. The Silent Brothers used them on prisoners and traders so that they could only draw healing and nourishment runes. But as far as Clary was concerned, they were nearly impossible to come by.

She clutched her hand and scooted over to the stele that laid on the ground. She poked at it and sighed in relief to find it had cooled off. She took ahold of it lightly and placed it on her inner arm. Clary sighed and dropped the stele, she wouldn't accept their pity gifts. She was stronger than that. She slid her tennis shoe off and slipped off her sock. She didn't dare smell it as she wrapped it around her gaping burn.

She bit her lip to suppress a scream as she hobbled to the bench. Clary flipped the plate over with her foot and heard the shatter of the plate as pieces of glass buried themselves in the bread. She looked in the corner of the room as if there was a security camera watching her and scowled, showing off her act of defiance.

Clary moaned softly and plopped down on the bench and collapsed, leaning her back against the wall. Her eyes fluttered shut and she let her mind drift to another realm, ignoring the stinging and burning pain in her hand. Clary sighed and after a few minutes, sleep finally overtook her.

"Wake up girl." Said a voice, Alec. Clary yawned and forced her eyelids open, frowning once she realized where she was.

"Where are you taking me?" Clary asked stubbornly.

"Relax, I'm taking you out of this dungeon. My siblings and I are ready to speak to you."

Clary scowled and fought against him for a moment but he was stronger. She finally gave in as he cuffed her hands with electrum wire and walked her out. She gasped as they walked through the wall and they appeared to be in the cellar under the Institute.

Alec walked them up a flight of stairs and it opened into the back of the interrogation room of the Institute. Clary knew that at the Institute she had grown accustom to, that this room was dusty and rarely used. Isabelle and Jace stood in the corner by a door. Isabelle sat on the floor, humming as she played with a scrap of some sort.

Jace was looking down at a book and slammed it shut as Alec and Clary neared the other two. Jace's expression was nearly impossible to read and before Clary could try to interpret it, Isabelle let out a gasp.

"Jace, you said you gave her a healing stele!" Izzy was on her feet in seconds and rushed over to Clary, pulling her own stele free.

Jace shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. "I did, she chose not to use it." Izzy muttered something and gently took Clary's arm and turned it over. She gently pressed the tip to Clary's skin and traced the lines of the _iratze_ rune.

"I was hoping she'd turn into a forsaken…" Jace muttered with a roll of his eyes. Isabelle shot him a glare before turning back to Clary with a smile. "I'm Isabelle."

"I know," Clary whispered, Izzy giving her an odd look. "Umm, never mind. I-I . . ." She was at a loss of words and she glanced at Jace, hoping for some reassurance but he was busy having a conversation with Alec via eye contact.

Alec nodded his head and began walking, catching Clary off balance as she nearly tripped and was dragged into the investigation chamber. Clary groaned, regaining her balance as she looked around the room. It was dimly lit by witchlight and there was a table with two chairs in the center.

Clary remembered when she was younger, around eleven, and she and Simon had geeked out on criminal shows. She was obsessed with novels and movies about crime and murder. She and Simon had tried to start investigations about silly little things such as what was in the school pizza or why Jocelyn painted landscapes of an unfamiliar place.

Now she knew that place as Idris and had solved many issues in the Shadowhunters world. She twisted around as Alec slammed the door in her face. The door was decorated with runes of protection, silence, and closing. She sighed and took a seat in one of the chairs.

The Nephilim were original and didn't have the one-sided mirror that was obviously looking glass on the other side. She checked all the corners and walls but didn't see any signs of surveillance. Clary rested her elbows on the table and looked down at her hand. The sock had fallen off and she was impressed to see the burn had turned into a scar, the pain subsiding slowly.

Clary let her head fall onto her hand as she resisted the urge to fall asleep. Then again, it might intimidate the trio outside if they saw how bored and calm she seemed despite her heart that was racing. She turned her head as the door opened and Alec stepped inside. In the light, she could see he was now wearing a pair of Shadowhunter custom pants and a white shirt.

He took the seat opposite Clary and gave her a devious smirk. "So, Clarissa. How do you know about the Shadow World?" He asked.

Clary sat up in her seat. "I'm a Shadowhunter! That is how I know. I have the Sight and my parents and brother are Shadowhunters."

Alec eyed the wall opposite of the door and raised an eyebrow. "If you're a Shadowhunter, how come we're only just meeting you now?"

Clary ran a hand through her thick curls. "Because this is not my world. This is some . . .demon dimension."

Alec stifled a chuckle. "It is now, huh?"

"Yes, and I can prove it to you."

"And how is that?" He asked nonchalantly.

Clary glanced at the wall where Alec had looked, Isabelle and Jace must've been listening and watching them. "I know that you are Alec Lightwood and you have a sister named Isabelle and Jace is your guy's adoptive brother and you had a little brother named Max who may or may not be dead in this world. Also, Jace was raised by my father and his real parents are Stephen and Céline Herondale. Oh, and did I mention the fact that you're about as straight as Tyler Oakley!" She yelled frustrated.

Alec felt his cheeks turn red as he began laughing dryly. Clary groaned in irritation as she rubbed her hands over her eyes. Isabelle walked in with a soft smile on her face and stood behind her brother.

"I think we can let her go Alec. She might be a Shadowhunter but if we report her to the Clave then she'll most likely be sent to Basilias. She seems a bit loose to me, definitely did some research, but I think we should just let her live out her fantasies in the mundane world."

Alec thought about it for a moment. "Alright sis, if you think so. I'll escort her—" Jace walked in through the door. "Don't worry about her Alec. I'll take her out and make sure she doesn't find her way back." He said spitefully.

Alec glanced at Isabelle and shrugged his shoulders. "Whatever, I'm gonna go get some food." Isabelle stood to follow her brother. "I'll cook. I think we've got the ingredients to make spinach tortellini." Their conversation cut off as the door shut and Clary was left alone with Jace.

She couldn't help staring at the boy who she'd had kissed so many times, thought about endlessly. But this wasn't him. Jace grabbed her wrist and yanked her out of the room and down another unfamiliar corridor. He was silent the entire way as Clary half ran half walked to keep up with his long strides.

They made a sharp turn and were moving down the main hallway of the Institute. Clary was thankful she could get her footing now that she knew where she was. However, she realized that the entrance was in the opposite direction. Unless Jace planned to drop her out a window, they were only headed further into the building's interior.

Clary didn't dare to argue. She found herself curious as to where Jace was dragging her. The silence dragged on and up another staircase and down a side hallway that Clary had only gone down before once or twice. Jace glanced around before pushing Clary into a dust covered bedroom. It was identical to all the other extra rooms with a simple bed, wardrobe, desk, and en suite.

"Jace, what are you doing?!" Clary asked in a hushed and angry tone.

He turned to face her, looking down on her. Clary had nearly forgotten the height gap between them as she strained her neck to look up at him with a stubborn expression. 'How did you know my name was Jace?"

"Huh?" Clary asked, completely thrown off guard by his obscured question.

Jace let out an exasperated sigh. "When you first met me, you knew my name. A-And you had this look in your eyes like you knew me."

Clary suddenly felt the urge to tell him all that had happened to her in hopes that he would remember who she was and the relationship they had but she quickly submerged that idea. "Like your siblings said, I did my research." Jace only gave her a bizarre look before leading Clary out of the room. With another awkward silence Jace took Clary to the main exit and accompanied her out of the building before watching Clary leave.

He knew perfectly well in his mind that this would not be the last he saw of Clarissa Morgenstern.

Clary made her way down first avenue. Her hands reached into her pockets where she felt a slip of paper. She pulled it out curiously and found a twenty-dollar bill that had not been there earlier. No doubt in Clary's mind that Isabelle had found some way to slip it in there now that she had such a charisma demeanor. Clary silently thanked her as she slipped into the next available subway tunnel and purchased a metro ticket.

Soon enough, she had arrived at her home, a bit of comfort washing over her. The sun had completely vanished between the time she had left the Institute and gotten home. She had grabbed her backpack from where she had left it a few blocks away from the house and entered the building.

It seemed her father had come home early from work for he was waiting in the kitchen for Clary, a beer in his hand as he scuffled through documents. "Clarissa," He said angrily, running a hand through his pale blond hair. "Where have you been? I called you nonstop and the school called and said you were absent today. I had to leave work early to go looking for you. Your brother was nice enough not to rat you out."

Clary swallowed the lump in her throat and stuttered a response. "I'm sorry dad, I just hung out at Java Jones. I was working on some sketches. I just wasn't feeling good today." She lied.

Valentine sighed, not to upset since this was something Clary rarely did. "Alright, that's fine. Next time, let someone know. However, there shouldn't be a next time."

Clary nodded and gave her father a small smile. "Yes sir, I promise. I'm just going to go to bed. I ate at the coffee place."

Valentine nodded. "Okay, sweetie. And tomorrow, I'm going to make sure you get in the car with your brother so he can take you. Love you!" He shouted, turning back to his work as Clary left the room.

Clary sighed in frustration. She was not fond of all this acting and just wanted answers but she knew she would have to attend school tomorrow to suffice her father's wishes and keep his calm and out of her hair for a while. Clary changed into a baggy tee and shorts before climbing into bed. She hadn't realized how exhausted she was from such a long day. She laid there and mentally prepared herself for the following school day before drifting to sleep.

 **Had to throw a day at school into this parallel universe mix. Hope y'all enoyed reading! Also, I'm no longer doing the 'if you name the chapter, I'll put your name in the next chapter' because I realized anyone could easily Google it. Anyways, son't forget to review!**


End file.
